


Three's the Last

by Higgies230



Series: Mismatched Family [15]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Discussion of Abortion, Established Relationship, M/M, Married Ian Gallagher/Mickey Milkovich, Mpreg, Protective Mickey Milkovich
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-19
Updated: 2019-02-01
Packaged: 2019-10-12 22:47:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 14,056
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17476397
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higgies230/pseuds/Higgies230
Summary: Ian had been feeling ill for a couple of days now but he hadn’t thought anything of it, probably just ate something funny. However, it wasn’t passing and they still needed money so Ian was back at work having survived half an hour at the station before he was subtly hurrying to the bathroom to spew. Apparently though, he hadn’t been as subtle as he had thought because he remerged to a knowing look from Sue, nothing passed that women he swore.“Sure your man hasn’t knocked you up again? God knows you have enough fucking kids,” Sue said, finally looking up.





	1. Tests

  Ian had been feeling ill for a couple of days now but he hadn’t thought anything of it, probably just ate something funny. However, it wasn’t passing and they still needed money so Ian was back at work having survived half an hour at the station before he was subtly hurrying to the bathroom to spew. Apparently though, he hadn’t been as subtle as he had thought because he remerged to a knowing look from Sue, nothing passed that women he swore.

  “Do I have to send you home Gallagher?” she asked, looking back down at the papers that lay before her on the table.

  “No, pucking’s done,” Ian responded, more than grateful that it was only the two of them in the room.

  “Sure your man hasn’t knocked you up again? God knows you have enough fucking kids,” Sue said, finally looking up.

  “Oh fuck, no, no he can’t have no,” Ian grimaced. Sure, they were going through a spree where Mickey was topping but they always used protection so it was fine.

  “What so you haven’t had it up the ass recently?” Sue smirked.

  “Well yes but we always use condoms, not fucking stupid,” Ian retorted, subconsciously running a hand over his muscled stomach.

  “Only way to certainly not have the baby is not to fuck, or in your case, you stick it up him,” Sue fired back.

  “Ah fuck fine I’ll pick up some tests on my way home,” Ian threw up his hands.

  “I’ll look forward to seeing I’m right tomorrow then,” Sue smiled.

***

  He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t thought of pregnancy when he had started throwing up every morning even though he had been bottoming with Mickey for the last few weeks. They had never gone through such a long spell of the brunette topping in the past, before, it had been a once time occurrence every couple of months or so. That was a combination of the fact that Mickey liked to bottom and the fear of Ian getting pregnant and so he couldn’t really say why things had changed now.

  The redhead had been worrying about his possible predicament the entire day but now he was getting off and was able to walk home and collect the tests. Each step now was one step closer to finding out whether or not Sue was right, something that Ian certainly hoped she wasn’t

  Once in the store, he decided that he would be safer buying three just in case, they also needed bread. Putting his items on the counter, he got a knowing look from the worker, a middle aged Indian man who he could only see as Kash which with the look just pissed him off.

  After he actually had the tests, he rushed home and couldn’t help but think that they would be positive. What would happen then? In the very unlikely case that Mickey actually wanted him to keep it then how would it go. Ian was thirty five now so he wasn’t exactly young but people had kids this age all the time and were fine, he was only thinking like this because he was eighteen when he had his. God his twins were now only a year of being the age he was when he had them.

  Finally, Ian reached their house gate. He knew that he would be the only one home at this time, would be for another hour, so it was perfect for him to do this now. Not that he would have the willpower to wait at this point. Even though he was the only one home, he still locked the bathroom door behind him, riffling through the carrier bag and pulling out the three boxes before setting the bread aside.

  He pissed on the three sticks together and sat down right there to wait. He knew that it would be minutes but he couldn’t tear his eyes away, just watching and watching until the time passed and every single one showed positive. Well fuck.

  After everything that happened with Manda, Mickey had said he’d never wanted another kid but that was twelve years ago so there was a chance that he may have changed his mind. However, considering the whole thing with Manda nearly lead to his death, Ian would say that the chances of him reconsidering were small. Ian found that he didn’t like the thought of an abortion, he hadn’t liked it when he was seventeen and he didn’t now either.

  They had a spare room, one that was the same size of Manda’s and they had been thinking about moving one of the twins into it to give them space. The boys were attached at the hip though and so Ian somehow doubted that they would have been behind that idea, it meant that it was perfect if they had the baby.

  Then again, twelve years ago he had almost died, just the thought scared him. This time though, logically he knew they would cut the baby out, probably to scarred from Manda’s birth. That is still if Mickey wanted him to keep it. He most probably didn’t though so why was he worrying?

  Ian ran a hand over his face and bunched the tests up in his fist, the other hand running over his stomach. He felt the familiar clench of fear in his chest at the thought of getting rid of the baby even though he didn’t know why. He didn’t know exactly why it had felt so wrong to get rid of the twins even though that would have been the most sensible option and it was the same now. He missed having a baby though, he had loved taking care of such a vulnerable being and feeling so incredibly needed.

  Maybe he shouldn’t tell Mickey? No how the fuck would that work out? God, he had been wrong when he told his sons that it was fine being a carrier; being a carrier sucked.

  Huffing one more time, Ian heaved himself up from the edge of the bath and went straight to his and Mickey’s room, hiding the tests in the drawer. He better get on with making dinner, this could wait.


	2. I'm Going to Worry

Really, he had been trying to keep it normal, act as if nothing was wrong but he knew Mickey could tell by the way that he was glancing at him. Sure, he was tense but every time that he looked at Mickey he couldn’t help but think about what he had to tell his husband and then having a wave of worry crash over him.

  Ian was still finishing off their evening meal when the kids got back, all yelling a greeting before disappearing off to their rooms. The only one he had actually seen was Alex who had appeared back down the stairs a few minutes later with his rat balanced on his shoulder to grab a quick snack before once more disappearing. It meant that by the time that Mickey actually arrived back half hour after that, he had been left alone to work himself up.

  Over dinner, Mickey kept glancing over at him even more, Ronan even picking up on this fact at one point. Luckily though he escaped confrontation on that one. Mickey looked like he wanted to ask several times through the evening but Ian just shut him up with a kiss or the promise to tell him later. In all the evening was hell but Ian just couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

  Eventually, they made their way up to their room and the bedside table drew his eyes, the knowledge of the tests in there pushing him on. Mickey was about to ask again he knew so Ian just pulled him over to the bed and pushed him down before turning and opening the draw, pushing the tests into his husband’s hands.

  For a tense moment, the redhead watched as his husband looked down at his hands. He had to clench his own behind his back to stop them from shaking as the nerves got too much. Mickey took his while twisting the tests over and over in his hands before he finally looked up at Ian. The look in his eyes was almost panicky and so Ian knelt down in front of him and ran his hands up the brunette’s side in an attempt to comfort him.

  Mickey still wasn’t saying anything though and Ian felt his stomach drop at what this would all imply. He didn’t want it obviously but Ian really, really wished that he wouldn’t have to get an abortion.

  “Ian…” he whispered after a moment and Ian couldn’t do anything more than let his head fall forward, forehead pressing into his husband’s thigh.

  “Ian I… I want- I would love to have this baby. I love our kids so much and they’re so beautiful but- but we _can’t_ Ian. We can’t,” Mickey said brokenly.

  “Why? Why Mickey? We have the room, we could afford it with our jobs,” Ian begged, lifting his head up and gazing at Mickey with pleading eyes.

  “Ian you almost fucking died having Manda, I can’t have you dying,” Mickey replied, eyes wet.

  “Mickey I’ll be fine,” Ian begged.

  “You can’t know that Ian and you don’t understand. Ian, I need you. You can’t die. You can’t okay,” Mickey implored.

  They were both crying then, both in pain. Mickey pulled Ian up from the floor until he was sat in his lap, one knee on each side of the brunette’s thigh. Ian buried his face in his husband’s neck, feeling Mickey’s grip tighten on the back of his shirt as he to hid his face in Ian’s shoulder.

  “I’m too scared Mick, they’ll have to do a c-section anyway, I’ll be fine, just a little scar after,” Ian whispered into the pale skin.

  “Are you sure? You sure that is what they are going to do?” Mickey asked, pulling back and holding a hand at the base of Ian’s skull, looking him full in the face.

  “Yes, I know Mickey. Please, please can we do this,” Ian begged, cupping his husband’s jaw with both hands.

  There was a long moment- too long while Ian was waiting- in which they just breathed the same air, pressed together. Mickey leaned in that last bit and rested his forehead against Ian’s, eyes closing, and Ian had no idea what the answer might be.

  “Okay, okay please,” Mickey whispered and Ian laughed.

  Then after that, Mickey was laughing too. Ian pushed his husband back and pulled him around until he was ling against the pillows with the redhead lying on top. The laughs turned to moans as Ian made his way down Mickey’s body, kissing and licking. He pulled off his and his husband’s clothes until they were both naked before taking Mickey in his mouth. He sucked until the brunette was close before moving back up, prepping him and sinking in.

  They fucked like that, holding each other close until they were finished. They were sweaty and sticky but Ian didn’t want to move, even though the bathroom and cloth was just next door it was too far away. Eventually though, he extracted himself even through Mickey’s protests, and returned again with a wash cloth.

  He quickly wiped his body down and then returned to the bed, kissing Mickey thoroughly as he gently washed him off. As soon as he was done, he threw the cloth aside and flopped down next to Mickey, the pair face to face. Mickey pulled the covers up around them and rested a hand on Ian’s stomach, smiling softly to himself.

  “You need to be okay Ian,” Mickey whispered, the smile falling away but the hand on Ian’s stomach beginning to move up and down.

  “I will be Mickey. I may have been bad after Manda but many people are. I’m still here aren’t I?” he asked, pulling Mickey’s chin up so that the man was looking at him.

  “Look tough guy, I’m going to worry, you’re fucking important so shut the fuck up and except that,” Mickey replied, poking Ian in the side.

  “Jesus okay,” Ian laughed, snuggling into Mickey’s side and smiling against his skin as the two of them drifted off.


	3. Smug and Smirks

  The next morning, Ian woke to the alarm to find himself wrapped around Mickey who was grumbling and trying to bury further into the pillows. The redhead huffed at the light that was stabbing through the window into his eyes and hastily proceeded to bury his face in Mickey’s neck. It was then as he did that that the recollection of the previous day came back to him. The whole pregnancy thing, the whole fact that he was pregnant and that they were going to have it.

  That thought had him hastily sitting up, scrubbing his eyes and rubbing a hand over his belly. Glancing over, Ian spotted the tests lying on the bedside table where they had been flung the night before as things got hot and heavy. Those tests meant it was real. Shit, it was real and Sue had been right. He would have to into work today and tell her she was right only to stay along side her all day and experience her smugness for the rest of the day.

  Falling back against the pillows, Ian groaned and covered his face with his arms, a moment later he felt Mickey’s hand rubbing up and down his side, bringing a smile to the redhead’s lips. That only lasted a moment though because Ian was then propelling himself off of the bed and into the bathroom to go and hug the toilet.

  As he retched, he felt Mickey’s hand on his back as it had been every morning that he had been there for this routine. Thinking about it now as he spewed his guts, Ian couldn’t fathom why the thought of pregnancy hadn’t come to either of them. Denial maybe? Ian would like to think that it was because it had been over a decade since he was last pregnant and had forgotten what it felt like.

  Eventually, he finished and sat up only to slump back against his husband. God did he love this man. They sat there for a moment with Ian’s back pressed to Mickey’s chest as Ian regained his breath. Mickey’s arms were wrapped around him, one hand rubbing gently over his stomach while he kissed the point where Ian’s neck met his shoulder. The redhead was completely relaxed into the older man and would have happily stayed there forever but the pressing need to get up came first.

  Ian pulled away and smiled at Mickey, offering a hand to pull him up. He wanted to kiss Mickey so much right then but that wouldn’t have been very pleasant so he waited till they had both brushed their teeth before he grabbed the other man. Considering they were pressed for time to get themselves and the kids together, they kissed for a while, still basking in their new news.

  “Are you sure you want to go into work today? You could just call in sick,” Mickey suggested as they broke apart.

  At the words, Ian couldn’t help but chuckle. Mickey was being all cute and overprotective, something that made Ian peck him on the lips and cup the back of his neck before answering.

  “Mickey, I’m pregnant not ill, stop worrying,” Ian replied.

  “Yeah you fucking are,” Mickey smiled, he leaned in for another kiss but Ian stopped him with a hand on his chest.

  “We are never going to get ready at this rate,” Ian smiled and Mickey fake pouted as Ian pushed him out the door to go and get dressed.

***

  Eventually, Ian was out of the house with all of the kids and Mickey off to school. It was then that Ian thought of Mandy. They hadn’t seen his best friend in over a year now with her life up in New York and they hadn’t really spoken much either. Ian missed her and thought back to how she had moved back in with them for his pregnancy with Manda, he knew this time that Mickey would kill her for doing that but it would at least be a good excuse for a visit at the very least.

  Without further thought, Ian pulled his phone out of his pocket and clicked on her number suddenly just begging for it to still be the right one. He made his way to the L as he held the device to his ear, listening impatiently as it rang. And then she was there.

  “Ian? Hello!” Mandy exclaimed on the other end.

  “Hey Mands, missing you,” Ian greeted, a smile splitting his face.

  “You too, you too. But hey, are you okay Ian?”

  “Yeah. I um, found out yesterday that I’m pregnant again,” Ian told her.

  “What? Oh my God. Are you keeping it? I mean after Manda what was Mickey thinking?” Mandy bombarded without a moment’s hesitation.

  “Yeah, um we talked it over and yeah we’re keeping it,” Ian responded.

  They chatted after that the entire walk to the L, Ian only hanging up when he got on the train. He was smiling the entire way, sending off a quick text to let Mickey know about his conversation with his sister. In fact, despite not being able to talk over the noise of the L, Ian and Mandy texted back and forth the entire journey about every little thing like they used to in the way that always annoyed the hell out of Mickey.

  Finally though, he had to say goodbye as he came to his stop. Now was the time to face the music. He managed to get to the station and to his locker to put away his bag before she appeared. Personally, he was hoping that she would be doing something important in her office for at least a little longer but here she was.

  “And Gallagher?” she greeted and she was already smug, he hadn’t even said anything.

  “Yeah you were right, you knew you were right, please don’t rubbing it in, I need my sanity,” Ian begged, closing the locker and leaning against it, arms crossed protectively.

  “Sure Gallagher, good to know I’m still always right though,” Sue smirked.

  “Always Boss,” he replied, sickly sweet.


	4. Boy or Girl

  They had decided to keep the news to themselves after Ian told his boss and Mandy. It wasn’t for the thrill more for the fear of spreading the excitement only to have something happen. There was always the chance of a miscarriage especially with Ian being older now, he wasn’t a geriatric carrier just yet but he was a hell of a lot older than he had been in past pregnancies.

  A week after they had found out, Ian and Mickey had gone down to the clinic to get a scan done really just as confirmation and as a way to judge how old it was. Ian had an estimate based on when he started puking but he was off by a week because as it turned out he was five weeks in. At just over a month, they had about two more to wait until they wanted to tell people.

  Mickey had actually suggested that they wait until it became obvious, until Ian had gained a baby bump that could no longer be hidden by clothes. He had said that about a month after they had found out, the date at the end of his first trimester drawing closer and closer. They had been lying in bed at the time, Mickey lying behind him for the purpose of draping his arm over the taller man and smoothing a hand over his stomach. Just like in the first two pregnancies, Mickey had fallen straight into that habit. At this point, if he pressed down, the brunette could feel the slight swell which he had confessed was one of the reasons that he loved to touch his stomach for.

  Ian had turned in his arms when he had suggested that, cupping his jaw and kissing him. Already, his husband was so cautious and overprotective, at the moment it was cute and touching but he knew that in a few weeks he would want to throttle him. May as well make the most of it now.

***

  Finally the day came when the baby was still resting snug in his belly and the first trimester had passed, time to announce it. They had talked about it the night before and had decided that they were going to tell the kids that morning and that Ian would pay his family a visit that evening to tell them. In all honesty that was the one that he was most worried about. Having his own family and home had drawn Ian away from his siblings over the last few years but Fiona still tried to mother him, looking on with disapproval just as often as she used to.

  Kids first though, Ian wasn’t working that day so he was able to just throw on clothes and just get to the kitchen. Though he preferred Mickey’s cooking to his own, his husband wasn’t a morning person and so it always fell to Ian to get the breakfasts ready.

  This morning though, he was only half concentrating, regularly running a hand over his stomach even as he cooked. He was making pancakes as a sort of celebration of their news so after the familiar thunder of feet sounded he was greeted with hugs and thank yous.

  It was only once they were all settled down at the table that Mickey nudged Ian who put down his fork and cleared his throat. That got everyone’s attention, the three heads lifting to look at their parents.

  “Okay, so um,” Ian started and then suddenly couldn’t think of how to put this.

  “Your dad’s pregnant kids,” Mickey spoke quickly.

  There was a moment where they all just gaped at them. Ian grabbed Mickey’s hand and squeezed it thankfully under the table before dropping it and going back to eating while he waited for the three to figure out what they were going to say.

  “Are you really Dad?” Manda asked after the pause.

  “Yeah,” Ian smiled, the smile growing as a beam broke out on his daughter’s face.

  She bounced off of her seat and came around the table to first hug him and then to hug Mickey. The girl was still smiling and bouncing when she got back to her seat. Looking over, he saw that both his boys were grinning too.

  “Congratulations Pap and Dad,” Ronan smiled.

  “Yeah, congratulations,” Alex echoed with an equally happy look.

  “When can you find out if it’s a girl or not?” Manda asked.

  “What you want a sister?” Mickey responded.

  “Yeah, I mean then it’s two and two right,” Manda explained.

  “Well about another month and a half until we can find out the sex,” Ian answered the first question. He smiled to himself, not having really thought of gender until then.

  Neither he or Mickey had thought about it or talked about it at least. Even now sat there, he couldn’t think about what he would prefer. Having another daughter to have two of each would be nice but he loved having little boys to teach as well as any dad. At the end of the day, he decided that he wouldn’t mind either way. Ian wondered then what Mickey would want.

  “What do you think boys? Brother or sister?” Ian asked, he’d talk to Mickey about it later. Not that talking about it would change anything.

  “Oh I think another sister would be nice,” Alex replied.

  “Do you know what I don’t mind, both would be cool. I mean me and Alex won’t be living here for too many more years anyway so we just get a cute baby,” Ronan shrugged and Mickey snorted.

  “What about you Dads?” Manda questioned.

  “What gender do we want? Um… I think having another girl would be cool,” Mickey replied, sitting back and smiling at Ian.

  “What about you Dad?” she turned to him next.

  “You know I think I’m with Ro on this, I don’t mind. I’m going to love it as much as I love you no matter what,” Ian told her,

  “Oh God, you’re pregnant and it’s made you all gooey!” Alex joked.

  “Hey fuck off… he’s always the gooey one, doesn’t need a fucking baby in him as an excuse,” Mickey laughed.

  “How about you all fuck off, off to school, off to work and leave me to a nice relaxing day bully free,” Ian retorted, standing up and making shooing motions with his hands.

  He was able to just standing back and watch them all get ready, get the goodbye hugs from the kids and a kiss from his husband. Well one lot down, one to go.


	5. Gallagher Dinner

  Ian smoothed down the front of his baggy hoodie as he turned the corner onto his old childhood road. He’d not really been that fussed over the belly that morning when he had told the kids, they were used to seeing him, probably hadn’t noticed the difference. His siblings didn’t see him every day, they would see the difference. At this point, having reached his first trimester, there was a bump that to the unknowing would look like a bit of chub. His abs were a distant memory at least and, as vain as it sounded, he hated it. Especially taking his meds, Ian had to work for his physique. Right now at this point though, he was slightly plumper than he remembered being with Manda but hoped that he wasn’t reading too much into it. Probably just couldn’t remember properly after twelve long years.

  He stopped worrying then and just continued on his way. It was family dinner night, something that Ian didn’t attend normally but everyone else did. Apart from Ian, Debbie was the only one with extra family, had a daughter who was three years younger than the twins. When Franny was born, all of the bad looks for teen pregnancy turned from Ian to Debbie. Of course then Fiona had had a massive rant at him, she had blamed him for inspiring his then fifteen year old little sister. Kev and V also had twins who were only a year and a half younger than Ian’s twins. Everyone though was still close to their childhood home and so were always there for dinners.

  Occasionally, Ian would go along with his family but really, adding five more to the already overcrowded house wasn’t fun for anyone. They did however know that Ian would be stopping by tonight and been very pleased.

  Swiftly, he made it to the house, entering to the familiar, comforting sound of the babble of many overlapping voices. Because of the number of people, it took a moment for him to be noticed, Amy noticing him first. Amy was one of the Ball twins, the one that was most friendly with his boys. She came over to him with a smile and hugged him tight, muttering a hello which he returned, kissing her on the top of the head.

  After that, it was Franny, then Jemma and then Liam before everyone was greeting him heartily. He spent the next fifteen minutes while dinner finished cooking stood next to Lip as he joined in conversation, his older brother’s arm slung over his shoulder. In those fifteen minutes, Ian loved how easily he fell back into things, wished that he did this more often having missed it.

  Before he knew it however, he was sat down between Debbie and Jemma at an extended table with pasta being dished out. Really, by this point he felt like he was going to chicken out, had no idea how to spit out his news. Then Fiona gave him a way.

  “So Ian,” she said, as ever her piping up shut everyone else up, “why are you here? It’s got to be some kind of news for us if you’re here without your tribe.”

  Not for the first time it seemed that Fiona had seen right through him, if he wasn’t so used to it from his childhood he’d be freaked out. As it was, he was still rusty with dealing with this part of his family and had to shake off how inherently she knew him.

  “Uh yeah, I do,” Ian replied, now was the time.

  “Oh God Ian, spit it out,” Lip half yelled.

  “I’m pregnant,” Ian huffed out, reaching up and scratching above his eye, the habit he’d picked up from Mickey after so many years.

  “Oh my God! Yay! Ian congratulations!” Debbie yelled right away. Ian pretended to rub his ears, grimacing before sticking his tongue out at her.

  He received a round of congratulations, Lip actually getting up and rounding the table to hug him and clap him on the back.

  “I thought you looked fat,” Kev commented.

  “Kevin!” V screeched in outrage, smacking his shoulder none to gently.

  “Yeah thanks Kev,” Ian snorted, patting his belly.

  “Don’t you think you have enough?” Fiona commented with a slight frown.

  “She does have a point actually,” V backed after a moment.

  Of course something like this would come up, Fiona was purposefully not having any kids of her own, had even gotten an abortions to avoid it. Said she had enough kids to worry about. In fact after Manda was born she had advised him not to have any more for financial reasons.

  “Not like we planned it but I’m not getting an abortion, we have enough money for more kids, not that we plan on having more than this one. Just, Fi, I came here to tell you all cause you’re family but not for your blessing or anything like that,” Ian sighed, running a hand over his face.

  “Okay,” she replied after a moment, “sorry, I am pleased for you Ian. You are an amazing dad and, not that I would have ever thought so before I saw it, Mickey is too.”

  She got up then and came around to hug him as well before she returned back to her seat. Ian just breathed a sigh of relief.

  It was then that the questions started on how far through, what gender he and the clan hoped for, possible names. Fucking names. The baby was little more than a clump of cells, Ian was not thinking about names right now.

  By the time that the evening was drawing to a close, Ian was exhausted and happy to get away. He was more tired than usual with the pregnancy and his family always tired him out even though they meant well. Now, as he walked down the streets in the fading life he couldn’t wait to just get back to his husband. All things considered, Ian was expecting a much less excepting reception to his news and now that he had gotten it over with and had his family at peace he could relax and not worry about anymore of that for the rest of the pregnancy.


	6. Ultrasound

  “Ian Milkovich-Gallagher?” the nurse called out, Mickey and Ian immediately standing, Ian’s right leg dead after such a long weight sat down.

  They were at the clinic for his next scan, him now being at fourteen weeks meaning that the baby had gotten through the most hit and miss stage and now just needed to stay healthy and there. Ian wasn’t worried about it being there, he hadn’t felt anything wrong and was confident that everything was fine, he was just looking forward to seeing the thing.

  Just like he had done many times in the past, Ian lay on the bed and pulled up his shirt at the instruction and weighted as the doctor warmed the jelly. Just like he remembered, the gel was too cold, making him flinch slightly and stomach muscles jump. He heard Mickey snort beside him so reached out and punched him in the shoulder, the doctor smiling at their antics.

  “This isn’t your first pregnancy is it Mr Milkovich-Gallagher?” the doctor asked as he put the scanner to his belly, searching the ultrasound screen.

  “No, third,” Ian replied.

  “Okay so you know what you’re doing that’s good, always makes my life easier,” the doctor smiled, glancing briefly back at the pair.

  Mickey grabbed his hand then and Ian turned away from the screen to glance at his husband, squeezing his hand gently and smiling as he saw the blue eyes fixed to the picture. As he turned back, the doctor found it, the picture showed on the screen and with the flick of the switch the heartbeat sounded out.

  Ian was grinning hearing it, always such a magical moment, and he knew Mickey was grinning behind him before he felt the older man press a kiss into his hair. There was a moment where the doctor moved the scanner over Ian’s stomach and the husbands watched the tumbling image on the screen, completely in awe.

  “Huh,” the doctor muttered after a moment.

  “Huh? Is “huh” good or bad?” Mickey asked, instantly on edge, his hand tightening around Ian’s.

  “Depends on how you look at it but you seem to have two little ones tumbling around in there,” the doctor announced, spinning in his chair to face them.

  “Fuck,” Mickey breathed, Ian not sure what exactly that exclamation meant. Was it disbelief, awe, frustration, fear? No idea.

  “Fucking twins,” Ian breathed. Could they afford another set of twins? How the fuck did they keep having twins, there was no twins in his or Mickey’s family.

  “Okay Doc, our boys are twins as well but we don’t have twins in our families so where are they coming from?” Mickey asked.

  “Okay, are your boys fraternal or identical twins?” the doctor asked.

  “Identical,” Ian replied.

  “Well then that has nothing to do with genetics. Some couples actually have more luck it would seem having multiple sets of identical twins but really about every one in three sets of twins is identical because from what we know so far; it is just luck. Some people just seem to have more luck than others and no one really knows why. If you have fraternal twins however this time then you can blame it on the carrier,” the doctor told them, standing and grabbing some wipes to clean the gel off of Ian’s stomach.

  “Thanks Doc,” Mickey said as Ian swung up off of the bed and pulled down his shirt.

***

  Ian drove them home, trying to concentrate on the road rather than the _two_ little babies in his stomach. Could they do another set of twins? Both Ian and Mickey worked full time and Ian could distinctly remember how much easier Manda had been to handle as a single baby rather than the twins. By financially? Financially, they had planned to have one more kid nicely, two however was… well double the cost.

  He glanced over at his husband then, suddenly wondering what was going through his mind. Oh fuck, what if he was changing his mind on abortion. It wasn’t too late and Mickey had only agreed to having _one_ more baby. Suddenly Ian wondered what would have happened if he had told Mickey he was pregnant that first time before the brunette left Chicago. What would have happened if Ian wasn’t already six months through when Mickey found out?

  Mickey wasn’t looking at him but rather out of the windows at all the passing houses so Ian looked away again. He needed to concentrate on the damn road and stop fucking worrying. They would just have to talk when they got home and everything would be fine.

  Eventually, Ian pulled up into the drive and shut of the engine, as soon as he did so Mickey was out. His husband went straight to the house and boy that didn’t bode well. Ian had to take a moment then to compose himself, resting his head against his hand that was clutching at the steering wheel until his knuckles were white, the other resting against his stomach. He couldn’t bare the thought of having to get rid of two babies.

  Oh hell, now he was crying. He felt the tears hot on his hands and clenched his teeth, holding his breath to try and get himself under control. But he really couldn’t do this, he couldn’t get rid of them. Then again, if Mickey asked him to he would.

  “Oh shit. Holy fucking shit,” Ian breathed.

  It took him another moment to compose himself further, sitting back against the headrest and breathing deep. Just before getting out he rubbed a hand over his face to get rid of any trace of tears. He glanced in the mirror and saw that his face was red and cursed under his breath, maybe Mickey wouldn’t notice. No, he was probably too preoccupied. Time to just go and get it over with.

  The redhead threw open the car door, hesitating a moment before starting up towards the house, running a hand over his stomach again. Surely everything would work out fine.


	7. It'll be Okay

  Mickey wasn’t down stairs, that much was for sure. With the absence of the kids the house was silent except for the clatter of Bear’s claws on the kitchen tiles. Ian stood there for a moment and took a deep breath and in the next moment, Bear was trotting up to him. Crouching down to great him, the redhead buried his hands and face in the thick black fur, arms curled around the dog as the animal pressed in close to him. Breathing in the dog smell and stoking along his boy’s back calmed him and after a moment, he stood once more, stepping away from Bear with one last fond pat on the head.

  His husband was probably upstairs in their room and although Ian wasn’t looking forward to this conversation, he knew that they needed to have it. And so, hesitantly, he began to climb the stairs, stopping outside of their bedroom. The door had been left ajar, Ian thus able to his husband sat on their bed with his head resting in his hands. It was only when Mickey looked up and met Ian’s gaze that the redhead got the courage to push the door fully open and enter the room, stopping to stand in front of the older man.

  It was without a second’s pause that Mickey reached out and pulled him to him, burying his face in Ian’s stomach and wrapping his arms around the pregnant man’s back. Turns out that Ian needed that, really needed the affection. Mickey was stroking up and down Ian’s back, head still resting on his stomach above where their twins were resting.

  “What do you want to do Mick?” Ian asked even though the answer terrified him.

  There was a long moment where Mickey didn’t answer, just nuzzled his face further into Ian, pulling him fully to stand between his legs. Ian for his part, wound his fingers through Mickey’s hair while clenching his jaw to fight away more tears.

  “I don’t know if we can afford two Ian,” Mickey started, Ian’s heart dropping, “But I want them.”

  The last words made Ian fall to his knees, cupping Mickey’s face in his hand and pulling it down until he could rest his forehead against his husbands. It was as he did that that he felt the warm wet fall and hit his face, realising that Mickey was crying.

  “We can, Mick, I know we can,” Ian whispered, “Just think, Ronan and Alex are seventeen, almost graduated. They will be leaving for college within the next year and then it will only be supporting three kids again. Look, you have four siblings and I have five, we did well growing up. We survived. And us, us we’re not like our parents, we both have full time jobs, we bring in enough money to pay the bills and for food with extra on the side. Sure we’ll have to cut back, but we’ll make it. We’re Milkovich-Gallaghers, the two toughest families in the southside rolled into one.”

  “You’re right Ian, fucking course. We can I just… The twins and Manda- I don’t- they can’t grow up like we did with nothing okay? I… we’ll just be careful. I can’t stand the thought of getting rid of them though okay Ian… we can’t do that,” Mickey replied, leaning back and holding Ian at arm’s length.

  “Good, good Mick. Thank you,” Ian breathed, pulling Mickey back to kiss him softly.

  “Fuck, don’t thank me for something like that, that’s fucked up,” Mickey said as he leant his face against Ian’s cheek, “I don’t like the thought of the boys going off though, seems surreal after everything that’s happened that they’re all fucking grown up.”

  “I know what you mean. I… I’m glad we’re having these guys now, I miss having a baby you know, ours are all so big,” Ian replied, sitting back on his haunches and resting his hands on Mickey’s knees, his husband covering them with his own.

  “Such a fucking sap man,” Mickey grinned, his eyes still red and drying tear tracks fading on his face.

  “You telling me that you’re not at all excited for them,” Ian retorted.

  “Course I am, just got to get the worrying out of the way first. Two’s gotta be a lot harder to push out than one,” Mickey replied, suddenly serious.

  “I told you Mick, I’m probably going to have to have a c-section. I’ll be fine okay, completely fine and just because there’s two in there isn’t going to change that,” Ian told him.

  “You better be fucking right man, you can’t not be okay,” Mickey almost begged.

  “I promise Mick okay, I promise.”

***

  Mickey and Ian were lying together on the sofa with Bear when the children got home. They weren’t doing anything but resting, drained after their emotional day. Ian was lying half on top of the shorter man as Mickey caressed his belly. They were almost asleep when the children came back, noisy and oblivious to their parents.

  “Hey Dad, hey Pap, how did the scan go?” it was Manda that asked, Ian not having realised that she had come up to them until that moment.

  He cracked his eyes open as he felt Mickey shift under him. Before them was Manda and slightly behind were the twins, Alex sat on the other sofa and Ronan perched on the arm, all looking eager for the answer.

  “Well they’re healthy,” Mickey answered, shifting again, both men sitting up, Ian rubbing his eyes.

  “Wait they?” Alex echoed with a furrowed brow.

  “Yeah, the doc found two of them so seems in a few months we won’t be able to refer to you two as the twins any longer,” Mickey replied.

  “Holy shit, that’s… that’s amazing Dads!” Ronan smiled.

  “Hey so how long is it until you find out if they’re boys or girls?” Manda asked.

  “They same amount of time as it was when you asked this morning,” Ian chuckled.

  “Could they be a boy and a girl then?” Alex asked, the boy was leaning forward in his seat.

  “I guess,” Ian replied, glancing over at Mickey who just shrugged.

  “Oh I think that would be cool,” Ronan spoke, his siblings both adding in their agreements.

  “No go away and do whatever, stop pestering us,” Mickey spoke, jumping up and shooing them away before full out chasing them, Ian smiling as he heard Ian Manda squealing.


	8. Genders

  They had talked about names, or rather they had talked about not talking about names before they found out the gender of the twins. They had however cleared out the spare room, leaving only the dresser that already sat there and buying a crib. Baby shit was expensive and they wanted to do this all slowly, the financial fear still there.

  Ian also had a fear- one that he kept to himself as his poor husband was worrying enough- that one of the twins would have absorbed the other. Since they found out about the twins in his womb six weeks ago, he had been doing a little more research about them- again not something that had spoken to Mickey about. It was called vanishing twin syndrome, when one twin absorbed the other. He knew it was a thing but having looked it up he’d found that it happened in about 21-30% of pregnancies with twins.

  They had worried about the financial costs of twins but that didn’t mean that he wanted either gone, in fact the very thought made him sick. So, he had waited for this day both with dread and anticipation. Today was the scan that he would find out the gender of his babies, today he would also be able to see if there still were two babies to identify.

  He was already awake by the time that Mickey woke to the alarm, one that they set for their nine o’clock appointment. It was a Saturday so they didn’t have to get the kids up, Ian didn’t have work till tomorrow and Mickey didn’t till Monday so they took advantage of the time to catch up on a little extra sleep. Well Mickey did anyway.

  Ian woke up about seven but couldn’t bring himself to pull himself away from Mickey, he was just too comfortable despite his worry. The man was wrapped around him, hand placed securely over Ian’s swollen belly as it always was these mornings. Having had twins and a single baby before, he knew the difference in how his stomach distended and so far, it would seem that he was having twins so there was hope. Because of how large he was, he had gotten to the point where he was too swollen to be the big spoon, something that he didn’t think would matter in this switch with how protective Mickey was recently.

  Mickey groaned and stretched against his back, arms tightening briefly as he woke. Ian smiled as his husband snuffled, it just too cute coming from his little thug.

  “Morning, ready to see what we’re havin’?” Mickey greeted, voice scratchy from sleep.

  “Morning to you too, yeah I’m ready,” Ian replied, rolling over to face the brunette.

  “You’ve been awake a while haven’t you?” Mickey asked, scanning Ian’s face.

  “Yeah, was worrying but you were too comfortable all draped around me for me to get up,” Ian replied with a small smile.

  “Everything’ll be okay Ian. You promised,” Mickey smiled back.

  “Yeah, I know.”

***

  There they were again with Ian lying on the bed, the too cold jelly spread on his stomach, Mickey sat beside him and the sensor pressed on his belly by their doctor. Mickey had grabbed his hand as soon as he had pulled up his shirt and Ian was glad for it.

  He was nervous, found it really hard to keep still as the doctor searched for the babies. It didn’t take long for him to find the first but it was another moment before he finally found the second. That was the moment that Ian struggled with, clenching his jaw and forcing himself to stroke his husband’s hand with his thumb rather then crush it. Ian didn’t seem to be doing much better then Mickey though, the older man had a white-knuckle grip on his knee and an unwavering gaze on the monitor screen.

  But then there it was, the second baby and Ian breathed out the breath he hadn’t known he had been holding. Now it didn’t matter, the babies could be two boys, two girls, one of each, he didn’t care. When he had been pregnant with his boys, he hadn’t really thought about the possibility of miscarrying one, he’d been too preoccupied with the whole teenage pregnancy, holy shit I’m going to be a dad thing. This time he had had time to worry.

  “Well they’re both lovely and healthy gentlemen, so now there’s the choice of knowing the genders or not,” the doctor said, turning and smiling at them.

  Ian had to only briefly glance at Mickey who nodded before he in turn nodded their consent to the doctors. Now he was excited.

  “Well you’ve got two little girls in their Mr and Mr Milkovich-Gallagher,” the man smiled.

  Mickey turned to him and pulled him close, Ian clearly feeling his husband’s smile against his neck, the redhead himself grinning wide. It didn’t matter to Ian, hadn’t since the moment he had found out he was pregnant, a baby was a baby after all. But now he knew that he was going to have two more daughters… now it seemed more real.

  “Is this good news for you two?” the doctor asked, the two men pulling apart and seeing the smile on the other’s face.

  “We’d be happy with whatever to be honest Doc,” Mickey replied.

  “Well congratulations then.”

***

  “Hey, should we actually tell the kids, should we keep it quiet or maybe just lie completely,” Mickey suggested as he drove them home.

  He had started insisting that he drive where ever they went, had been very particular about the number of things in regards to what Ian should and shouldn’t do- such as don’t go to work you’ll strain yourself Ian. So far, he had only won the driving argument and that was only because he could move quicker than the redhead right now.

  “Mickey we aren’t going to lie to them,” Ian rolled his eyes.

  “Ah fuck, fine, have it your way, we’ll tell them,” Mickey replied, trying to pout but a grin breaking through.


	9. Naming

  When they arrived home, they were greeted by Bear, wagging happily at the sight of them and then by Manda yelling hello from the kitchen. Ian shrugged off his jacket and hung it up just as his brunette did the same, the pair then heading into the kitchen to see their daughter. Ian for one knew that he was hungry, having been too nervous to eat before- only a half slice of toast to go with his meds. Now he could fucking eat.

  Manda however, had other plans, she jumped up as soon as they entered, leaving her phone and half empty coffee on the table. The girl came straight up to Ian, putting her hands on the top of his baby bump- she loved to touch it almost as much as Mickey did, a similarity that never failed to bring a smile to his face.

  “Did you find out what they are?” she asked exactly, practically vibrating on the spot.

  “You know we did,” Mickey replied with a smirk.

  “Well?” she asked, eyes wide as she gazed between her parents.

  “Well what?” Mickey asked innocently.

  The girl half huffed, half growled and moved to tackle her paternal father. The other man chuckled and wrestled back, pulling away and tickling her into submission while Ian looked on. He couldn’t wait to get back to playing with the kids as soon as he’d had these twins. These little girls.

  “Dad please tell me,” Manda whined, pushing a displaced lock of hair back behind her ear.

  “Two girls,” Ian smiled.

  “What really?” she grinned.

  “Yes really,” Mickey mimicked, Manda just sticking her tongue out at him.

  The next moment, she was bouncing and dancing around the kitchen, whooping and generally celebrating. Ian grinned watching her, grinned even wider when Mickey pulled him to his side, wrapping one arm around his waist and resting the other hand on his bump.

  “Hey guys, what’s all the noise?” Alex said then.

  The teen was all sleep ruffled, pyjama pants and an old t-shirt, hair standing up in any which direction and sleep still gritted in his eyes. Typical Saturday time to wake up for him then, Ronan will probably follow within the next half hour.

  Okay no, there he was. The other boy was running a hand through his long hair, combing it with his fingers in a fashion that was still more effective in it that when Manda actually brushed her hair. Yes, they heard her bitching about that at the very least three times a week.

  “Oh you found out the genders. What’s the news?” Ronan asked, automatically perking up.

  “Two girls! We’re going to have two little sisters!” Manda exclaimed before either parent could open their mouths.

  Both boys grinned and Manda was able to pull them both into a victory dance around the kitchen. This lasted another few minutes, enough time for Ian to grab himself and Mickey a bowl of cereal and Mickey a mug of coffee. When they finally stopped, the twins flopped down in two free kitchen chairs panting and Manda came up to wrap her arms around Ian from behind.

  “Do we get to name them now?” Manda asked.

  “No, we get to chose names, we may give you a little input but me and your dad get main say,” Mickey answered, poking her lightly.

  “Okay, but can I choose the colours for their room?” Manda pressed.

  “Sure,” Ian agreed before Mickey could wind her up more.

  “Thanks Dad, you’re the best parent ever,” she grinned, kissing his temple and sticking her tongue out at Mickey who just stuck his out in return.

***

  That evening, they went to bed early, Ian tired from his restless night. It wasn’t uncommon now, he was uncomfortable most of the time and rarely slept well, hence the early nights weren’t unusual. Normally, they used their early nights for rounds of amazing sex which now with Ian’s increasingly big baby bump, features Mickey as the top. The sex normally worked well to help them both sleep so it was a good use of their time. 

  They were making another use of their time tonight though, both too excited about the prospect of their new daughters to wait to name them. Just the thought of there being two little girls in his belly made it real and exciting. This was the first time that Mickey and Ian would sit down and think of names together. The first time with the twins, Ian named them thinking that he would never see their father, the second time the name had been pre-promised five years before. This time however they would get to do it like a normal couple.

  They were there for about two hours pawing over Ian’s phone by the time that they had narrowed down the list to eight names. After that, it was only another fifteen minutes before they had the names of their daughters- turns out that Manda wouldn’t have any say at all. Ian couldn’t mind that in that moment, not when he was staring down at the two names circled and gone over to bolden them.

  The pair had been surprisingly agreeable- well not really surprising with how they always were- and the only reason that it had taken them so long to get down to the two names was the sheer number that they had to chose from. Now they had the two though.

Zoey and Ava.

  Mickey pulled the pad out of Ian’s hand, placing it on the bedside table before he pulled Ian in for a dirty kiss, each man continuing to grin as they stripped each other, hands roaming. They ended with Mickey fucking into Ian from behind, the older man’s arms wrapped around him and mouth pressed against his neck. They groaned quietly together, Mickey’s muffled by Ian’s skin and Ian’s by his fist pressed against his mouth.

  When they’d finished, Ian turned over in his husband’s arm, pulling him close till Mickey’s head rested on his collar bone. He could feel the older man still smiling against his skin and it warmed him through. Mickey wasn’t regretting this like he had feared at the start, now he knew his big softie of a thug was just as excited as he was for their little Zoey and Ava.


	10. Kids Some Day

  Ian had tried to help paint the babies’ bedroom, key word being tried. Manda had picked out the colour- a light purple, the tin called it amethyst but it was basically light purple- and they had brought it home from the store, bedroom carpet all covered and ready. Ian had literally gotten the paint roller covered in the paint and was about to start painting when Mickey had arrived home, grabbing the thing out of his hand to be then followed by a greeting peck. He hadn’t wanted him to strain himself, there was a lot of people like that right now, including Sue who had been giving him less and less shifts at the station until she told him to just come back when he had given birth. That had been two weeks after his fifth month.

  The room was finished within a week though, the cribs in place with the mobiles that had originally hung over Ronan and Alex when they were babies. There were tiny clothes folded in the draws and a box of baby toys that had previously been stored in that room. The curtains were blue- again chosen by Manda- and there was a rug covered in little teddy bears that Mickey had spotted at the store one day.

  Just being in that room made Ian smile. He would sit in the arm chair that had been placed in one corner and look at the cribs, imagining what it would be like when there were two little babies lying in them. The redhead would smooth a hand over his stomach and feel both internally and externally as they moved about and kicked. It had been three weeks since they had found out that they had girls, Ian now being in his twenty third week had felt the babies moving for six weeks, Mickey having first felt them kick the day after they found out the genders. Feeling them move made the whole thing even more real still.

  It was one of the times that Ian was just sitting in the nursery when Ronan entered. He peaked around the door and edged in, tucking his hair behind his ear and smiling nervously. Ian smiled back encouragingly, wondering what may be on his son’s mind.

  “Hey do you mind if I join you Dad?” he asked.

  “Yeah of course Ro, what’s on your mind?” Ian returned.

  His son stepped closer and then sat down on the carpet at Ian’s feet, resting his head back against the chair and looking up at the older man. Ronan had always been quieter than his twin, the sort to sit back and observe the situation, the thinker- not that Alex was stupid, he was just as clever as his brother, he just didn’t think as much before he did things. When his boy got this look on his face, Ian knew that he had been thinking for a while.

  “I was wondering about the twins, what it feels like and all that,” Ronan confessed, never breaking eye contact.

  “Do you want to feel?” Ian asked. So far, Mickey had been the most obsessive in touching his belly, feeling kicking, with Manda not far behind. Both of the twins had been fascinated but when Ronan had first felt them kicking Ian had seen the cogs whirring in that head of his.

  “Yes please,” Ronan responded, getting up on his knees and putting his hair behind his ear again before putting his hand on Ian’s belly.

  There was a moment where they searched for movement, Ian moving his son’s hand to where he felt the girls tumbling. Eventually, they kicked out and Ronan grinned, fingers tightening slightly as he rubbed over the spot. Ian couldn’t help but grin, watching as his son stared at his baby bump in awe.

  “But what does it feel like for you Dad?” he asked, hand just left on the bump.

  Ian took a moment to think about that. It wasn’t like this sort of miracle was easily explained, how unique and special this all was. People who never experienced this would never really understand but the thing was, Ronan did have the chance of experiencing this one day. Was that the reason he was asking? Probably, he was a smart kid.

  “It’s magical. I mean, there’s all the discomfort and everything that you hear about but especially when you get to my stage and the baby’s moving it’s… amazing. I can’t really explain, it’s too special if you know what I mean,” Ian told him.

  Ronan was gazing at him, eyes wide and evidently taking in every word, nodding when Ian came to the end.

  “Why do you want to know?” Ian asked, he needed to know that Ro wasn’t planning on getting pregnant soon, that he wasn’t pregnant by that boyfriend of his right now.

  “I guess I want to have kids some day and you know, I’m a carrier so it could be me as the pregnant one,” Ronan shrugged, moving back slightly to sit on his haunches.

  “When’s some day then?” Ian pressed, just so he could be sure.

  “Not now, don’t worry Dad. Some day is when I’ve settled down with a guy I love, when I have a good job and a home,” Ronan smiled almost wistfully, “When we first got those blood tests back, I couldn’t believe it Dad. I hated the thought that I could get pregnant and I was scared but… but I’ve been thinking about it these last seven months since we found out and I don’t hate it anymore.”

  “You think this guy you settle down with could be your boyfriend, I mean it’s been at least seven months now, even though we don’t even have a name,” Ian half smiled. He liked the thought that this mystery boy would be the one for his son like Mickey has been for him.

  “His name’s Danny and I… I hope so. I know I love him Dad,” Ronan confessed, looking down at his hands in his lap.

  “You love him?”

  “Yeah, we’ve been dating since we were fifteen so almost three years now and yeah… I love him, I know it,” he said, looking up shyly at Ian.

  Fifteen… just like he had been. He certainly hoped that this Danny had treated his boy better than Mickey had treated him back in the day.

  “He’s in the same year but goes to a different school, we met when I was out in his part of town with the boys. He was there with some friends in a spot where they smoke you know and he’d been checking me out, like blatantly. I’d never had anyone look at me like that Dad, I mean you know I’d um- I’d done it before but they weren’t all that into me,” Ronan said, blushing scarlet.

  Ian smiled sadly, his boy often hid behind his hair like it was a shield, didn’t have the confidence in himself that Alex did. The fact that these other boys had just used him and made that even worse made him want to hurt someone.

  “We um, we hooked up. He gave me his number and then we kept meeting up and I started really liking him cause he’s so nice and he’s funny. He’s so good to me and I met his sister for the first time when he had been together just over a year, she was the only one home. I know that Pa was afraid and that his dad would have killed you guys but Danny’s not like that. His sister had heard all about me and when I met his parents, they had heard all about me and they were so excited to meet me,” Ronan smiled.

  “Why didn’t you tell us then? Three years is a long time to be with someone when you’re your age,” Ian asked. He couldn’t understand it.

  “I was nervous okay and it was kind of special, something all for me. Plus you would have insisted that he come over and then we would have had the embarrassing meal… though I don’t think Pa would embarrass me, I think I would find it funny. Never mind then, that’s not a reason,” Ronan rambled.

  “Ro, you didn’t think that we’d be ashamed or anything?” Ian asked, bending forward as much as he could and placing a hand on the side of his son’s neck.

  “No, I mean that would be a little hypocritical. I just don’t know, it was special,” Ronan shrugged and Ian smiled.

  “Do you have a picture?” Ian asked.

  “Yeah.”

  His son pulled his phone from his pocket and scrolled through until he found what he was looking for, then passing the phone over. Ian looked down at the picture before him, it was one of his son and his boyfriend, Danny standing behind his son and resting his chin on Ronan’s shoulder. The boy was handsome, mousey blond hair that was combed back and blue eyes, chiselled jaw. More importantly to Ian though, his eyes looked kind.

  “He looks nice Ro, you do realise that we have to meet him now though?”

  “Yeah I know,” Ronan sighed.


	11. We Did Asshole!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can sense babies in the next chapter...

  Ronan left not long after that and Ian was just left there in the chair to think. The boy closed the door and Ian just sat there, resting his head in his hands after a moment. Why had Ronan not told them? He had been in a relationship with this Danny character seemingly happily for three years. If they were other southside parents then maybe it would have been about the fact that Danny was another guy but they were two guys themselves. Was it because of how Ronan saw himself? Ian sure hoped not.

  The whole thing was still on his mind as they sat for dinner, pasta that Mickey had made and tasted infinitely better than anything that he could cook. However, he tried not to look at Ronan lest he make him uncomfortable and indeed, his son seemed to be comfortable enough.

  Apparently Mickey had noticed though. They had fallen into bed, both too drained to even think about sex. It wasn’t like they were too young anyway, Ian being thirty four and Mickey thirty six, they didn’t usually have sex every night anymore, not like when they were teens, the only reason they were having sex so much these days was because Mickey loved the swell of his belly.

  They had snuggled down, Ian leaning into Mickey’s chest and been like that for a few minutes, Ian almost drifting off when his husband spoke.

  “What’s been bothering you then?” Mickey asked.

  Of course he had noticed, the brunette noticed everything about Ian these days because he was always fucking watching. When he was home, Mickey was pretty much always there with Ian making sure that he “wasn’t doing something he wasn’t meant to”.

  “Ronan and his boyfriend,” Ian replied.

  “What about them, that hasn’t come up in months?”

  “We were talking about it today, me and him. You know his boyfriend’s name is Danny and they’ve been dating for nearly three fucking years,” Ian said, huffing out a sad chuckle.

  He wasn’t looking at his husband, rather still burying his face in the older man’s chest, taking comfort in the sound of his heart, his warmth and his scent.

  “Three years? Three fucking years? Why the fuck hasn’t he said anything?” Mickey asked, seemingly horrified, the hand in Ian’s hair stilling.

  “I think it’s because he thinks shit of himself. He doesn’t want to share this because it’s special or something. That’s what I think anyway but I’m not a fucking shrink. He said that the guys he’s been with before made him feel like shit anyway,” Ian sighed.

  “Wait, he’s been with this Danny since he was fifteen but there were guys before?” Mickey asked, Ian looked up then and saw his husbands furrowed brow as he looked down at Ian.

  “I guess he takes after his pa,” Ian joked.

  “Ah fuck you, we’ve been together since you were fifteen and you’d fucked guys before me. You were fucking fucking Kash n Grab for fucks sake!” Mickey replied outraged.

  “Yeah yeah, whatever,” Ian smiled.

  “Now we’ve really got to meet this Dave kid,” Mickey said.

  “Danny,” Ian corrected.

  “Yeah, I should probably remember that.”

***

  The worst bit about not working was the boredom when it was just him and Bear in the house. He had even taken to going into the kids’ rooms to go and cuddle their rodents occasionally. Never since he was a boy did he not have a job, even though he did now he wasn’t allowed back to the station. In all fairness, he was struggling with getting down to see patients, his stomach turning easily. For the last week before Sue had essentially- no she’d really told him- to fuck off, he was stuck in the office doing paperwork.

  Now, he was stuck in the house because Mickey got all jumpy and nervy when he went out alone. The fucking place had never been so fucking clean. He had cleaned it every day, he had been reading books like never before- he really hadn’t been big on reading when he was a teen before the twins and he had been thrown into the full responsibilities of adulthood and parenthood.

  That day though as Ian was stood in the kitchen taking his midday pills, there was a knock on the door. Unlike the Gallagher house, Ian and Mickey had a tendency to not have half the neighbourhood coming through at all hours and people actually had to knock.

  He had no idea who it may be and so it was with curious excitement that he put the orange juice back in the fridge and made his way to open the front door. He swung the door open and there on the doorstep was Lip, his older brother smiling that almost smirk of his.

  Ian greeted him with a hug, the baby bump getting in the way somewhat. His brother commented on the size, snorting and saying there was a possibility he was carrying more than just two at that size. The redhead just flipped him off and settled a hand on his belly, no way would he be having more than two.

  After Lip arrived, his day got infinitely better than the days before. He didn’t see his brother nearly enough since he moved in with Mickey over seventeen years ago and of all his family, Lip was the one that he missed the most. The two of them sat down and just chatted, Ian about how dull it was at home and about Ronan and his boyfriend, Lip about this new girl that he was dating. His brother had been an asshole with girls back in the day but he was a good boyfriend now that he had matured and Ian just hoped that he found his forever someone soon.

  Then came the time that Lip had to get off, back into his life. The older Gallagher son stood and Ian made to follow, groaning at the pain that shot through his back at the movement.

  “You know there is a solution to this,” Lip commented, that smirk curling up the corner of his lips.

  “Yeah what’s that?” Ian asks like the gullible fool he is.

  “Use condoms next time,” Lip laughed.

  “We fucking did asshole! It’s not a hundred percent,” Ian replied, punching his brother in the arm.

  “Well shit,” Lip replied with a slightly contemplative look.

  “Yeah shit now go away shithead,” Ian laughed, shoving his brother towards the door.


	12. Birth

  Of course they were coming early. Ian had read about it in his searches. In fact, the boys coming _late_ was incredibly rare. So, when Ian’s waters broke three weeks before the nine month due date, he didn’t panic just sighed in relief that at the time he was stood next to his husband.

  “Hey Mick,” Ian got out, rubbing a hand over the bump and breathing through the pain.

  “Yeah- oh,” Mickey realised, seeing the water spilling down Ian’s legs onto the kitchen floor, “they’re a bit early.”

  “No, twins tend to come early, it’s very common,” Ian breathed, pressing his chin into his chest and gripping the counter in a white knuckle grip.

  “God what a nerd,” Mickey huffed out a laugh, reaching out and rubbing Ian’s back.

  “Yeah, I saw your search history, you didn’t know that at all now did you?” Ian grinned, looking to his husband.

  Ian felt a cramp then, hunching over and gritting his teeth, his pained moan still escaping. It was then that Mickey snapped into action, an arm around Ian’s shoulder and a guiding hand on his arm, the brunette started to lead him to the car. He threw a quick warning over his shoulder to Ronan who was sat in the living room, telling him to be good.

  His husband was then driving just a little bit over the speed limit on the way to the hospital. Well, a little bit more than a little. At that moment however, the redhead wasn’t too bothered about the speed what with cramps driving striking pain through his lower body every so often, getting closer and closer in number.

  As of such, he wasn’t aware of the car pulling into the hospital carpark or Mickey jumping out. He only came back to it when his husband was opening his door and half carrying him to the hospital entrance. The staff saw the condition he was in and immediately he found himself being taken off, Mickey telling them his details behind.

  They had pre-booked a c-section with their doctor so Ian was put on a bed and wheeled straight into the surgery. His last two pregnancies were natural so this was strange, the whole curtain blocking his view of the baby bump, the area numbed with spinal blocks. He was awake and aware of what they were doing but he couldn’t see or feel anything.

  Then there was crying, his little daughter, they were pulling out the first one and then there was more crying. At the sound, Ian realised that he was also crying because they were checking over his daughters and sewing him back up. No time seemed to pass for him before the curtain was being removed and his babies were in his arms.

  He stared down at the little bundles with red, scrunched up faces and tiny hands. Both girl’s eyes were scrunched but the one in his right arm opened them first and he really saw Mickey there. In fact, the hair on her head was thick and dark. Even though it was wet, he could still see that she wouldn’t be like her three older siblings, she wouldn’t have Ian’s red hair but her paternal father’s dark and that made him grin wide. _Finally_ , he thought.

  In the next moment, Mickey was there, one hand running through Ian’s disgustingly sweaty hair and the other hovering over the little brunette baby. He glanced up at his husband, seeing the awe filled grin that was spread over his face.

  He looked over at the other little girl then and frowned. Well fuck. This little one was red haired just like their other three children but not like her twin. It was too soon even for him to see any facial differences except the eyes, this little girl had Ian’s eyes while their little brunette twin was Mickey completely.

  “So they’re your fault then,” Mickey commented, obviously having noticed the same as Ian.

  “Oh shut up, you’re glad too,” Ian grumbled, turning his head then so that he could kiss Mickey.

  “Yeah I am,” Mickey replied when they broke apart, suddenly serious.

  Ian passed the little brunette baby to his husband then, the man holding her close to his chest and allowing Ian to hold the redhaired little one close to his. The girl looked up at him and he offered her his finger which she grabbed in her tiny hand. God he had missed babies. The tears that were falling down his face then were happy tears, his heart overflowing with joy as he looked from the twin in his arms to the one that his husband cradled.

  “So which one should be which?” Mickey asked, looking away from his daughter and up at Ian.

  “I… maybe let this little one be Zoey and then the mini-you be Ava?” Ian suggested. The little redhead just looked like more of a Zoey than an Ava.

  “That’s good, yeah… hello little Ava,” Mickey crooned to the baby.

  Mickey shifted after that, moving so that he was sat behind Ian with the redhead laying between his legs and the babies held by both of them. That was how the midwife found them, how they gave her their daughters’ names and where the woman told them that they would have to keep the babies and Ian in overnight for monitoring because of the c-section and premature birth.

  Ian worried then about the girls, tiny even for babies, but she promptly went on to say that they were both very healthy and it was just procedure. He had slumped back against his husband then, relieved, and was able to bask in the presence of the three for a couple more hours until Mickey had to leave.

  The man leant down and kissed him deeply before gently pecking each sleeping girl on the head, promising to be back first thing in the morning. It was when the doctors took the babies to be monitored overnight that he struggled though, hating to be away from them. His other three had been fine to go home with him but here he was in the hospital away from his new daughters, it would be a sleepless night but tomorrow the seven of them would be a complete family.


	13. Three's the Last

  The next morning, Ian woke up to fingers threading through his hair.  The night before he really hadn’t slept, fully of new parent worries about the end of the world and all of that. He had also found that, rather pathetically, he couldn’t sleep without his husband next to him. In fairness to him, it had been years since he had slept away from Mickey at night. The brunette probably faired better, having slept in their bed alone whenever Ian had a night shift at the station.

  It was because of his bone weary exhaustion that really he didn’t wake so much as gained consciousness. In such a state, the hand in his hair felt so good and comforting that he leaned into it without an inkling of who the hand belonged to. The redhead tried to roll over, closer to the source of the comfort then but gasped out in pain, eyes shooting open as he sat up straight.

  His stomach was stitched up just above his dick where they had cut him open to get the twins out. It was strange to think about the pain of his previous births, how he had felt bruised all through his lower half for weeks. This was different, this was a more intense ache in a localised area.

  That was the first thing that he registered. The next was the person sat next to his bed, the one who had moved their hand from his hair to grip his shoulder when he had bolted upright. It was Mickey. Of course it was Mickey.

  Ian smiled tiredly and leaned into his husband, so incredibly pleased to have him there. It was ridiculous he knew, it had been only a night, but he had missed his lover. Mickey hugged him close and kissed his hair as he regained his breath, Ian cringing at the thought of how disgusting he must be, not having washed after everything from yesterday.

  “Hey, they said that I can take you and the girls home,” Mickey said.

  “Thank God, I missed you Mick,” Ian breathed, looking up at his husband.

  “Jesus, one night? You’re a fucking sap,” Mickey smiled, leaning down to kiss him.

  “Does that mean you missed me too?” Ian asked once they broke apart.

  “Yeah, I guess,” Mickey conceded.

  “Ah, fucking sap,” Ian smirked.

***

  They stepped into the house, a baby apiece, Mickey holding Zoey and Ian Ava. It was quiet and Ian wondered if the kids were even up, Mickey having said they were still asleep when he left for the hospital after leaving a note. His query was answered though when Manda came rushing to great them with Bear close behind.

  She stopped wide eyed before them and gazed at the babies, mouth slightly open with lips turned up.

  “Aww,” she breathed.

  At that moment, the boys came walking in, Alex slightly ahead of his brother and both smiling. Mickey gestured with his free hand to the living room, Ian and the children following before the two men sat down, the three kids crowding around.

  “Oh my God Dads, this one looks like you Pap and this one like you Dad,” Manda breathed.

  She reached out tentative hand then, looking to her parents for confirmation, both smiling at her. Manda grinned then as she stroked a gentle hand down Ava’s face, hand almost quaking and eyes so wide Ian didn’t think it was possible. He himself was grinning, looking away from his two daughters to his sons, both sat back on their haunches watching in awe.

  “Which one is Ava, which is Zoey?” Alex asked after he caught Ian watching.

  “This one is Ava and the one your Pap is holding is Zoey,” Ian told him.

  “Can we hold them?” Manda asked.

  “Of course, who wants to first?” Mickey asked.

  Manda held Ava first, clutching her close and cooing down at her while Mickey passed Zoey to Ronan. As he held her, close and tenderly, Alex ran a finger down her tiny cheek. The little baby stared up at her brother with huge blue eyes and as soon as his finger got close enough, she wrapped a tiny hand around it.

  After a moment, Ronan handed the little redhead over to his twin, the boy wrapping reverent arms around her as Ronan went to greet his other new little sister.

***

  Ian and Mickey were tucking the girls into their cribs for the first time, the nursery finally in use. The day had been one of the best in his life, watching his five children interact, seeing how in awe his three oldest were of the little babies. Manda had been holding either Zoey or Ava all day, there hadn’t been a moment except meals that she wasn’t holding one. The boys weren’t that much better, always close.

  Before, especially after their conversation about parenthood, Ian would have thought that it would be Ronan that would have been rivalling Manda for the babies’ attention. As it turned out, Alex was the other sibling who was more often than not cuddling a baby with Ronan standing close by, almost glued to his twin’s side.

  Now though, it was just him, Mickey and the girls for the first time since they had gotten home. He was reluctant to put them down, to be separate from them again but he knew he must. Mickey seemed to be having the same problem as him, Ava currently tucked close to his chest.

  Ian took this moment to really study his daughter, Zoey the twin in his arms. Now that he had had the time he couldn’t help but be astonished at how closely Zoey resembled him and how Ava was Mickey. The shape of the eyes, the nose and the mouth were all their separate parent each, even the colouration matched.

  Finally, Ian managed to put the baby down, briefly reaching out to let the little girl grab his finger one last time.

  “They are so sweet,” Ian commented as he and Mickey both stepped back.

  “Yeah, but I really mean it this time, no more babies, three lot's is the last. I’m never fucking you again, you top from now on,” Mickey sighed.


End file.
